Odds comparison sites

I don't think so

Having worked for a bookmaker whose prices appear on an odds comparison website, I can tell you that the prices that you see are not a reflection of the probability of the outcome in the bookmakers opinion

If you fancy that the probability of something happening is 6/1 and the best price out there is 3/1 you would mark up 100/30 or 7/2 to attract custom

Unless its 3.9 on the machine, in which case you go 11/4.

[x], exactly. The variation in tissue prices between bookmakers, let alone between serious punters, is huge. The differences in price offered are minuscule, to prevent arbing.

Were there a tote monopoly with a tiny overround, racing might in all probability make more than it does now, as there would be no alternative for winning price-takers / price-makers to stand their opinion.

Notwithstanding the skills of some of their employees (increasingly sidelined), bookmakers' activity would be seen correctly as parasitical, and perhaps a handful of winning punters would be seen as the price of a greater volume of custom.

wsn.com will give you the average price in additon to the best one

(should have added that it's football only though)

Yes the average odds provided certainly doesn't reflect the true odds!  They have to make a profit.

Thanks Andriy.

cosmic:

I use txodds, they provide average odds but also more usefully, they use those odds combined with the overrounds of each bookie to estimate probabilities (which I assume is what you wanted to do with them?).

Has anybody on here actually studied bookmakers early ( overnight) prices.i.e Do horses that they have priced at say 3/1 win somewhere near 25% of the time etc.?

I would be interested in a study too. Overnight odds are a lot less accurate than sp odds.

Is that just an impression you have Askari, or have you done a study and compared them ?